Former Democratic presidential candidate Jim Webb is criticizing the decisions by some governors to pull National Guard troops from the border over the separations of undocumented children from their parents.
“The governor of Maryland, the governor of Virginia – both of which just pulled their troops out – don’t have the authority to do that,” the former Navy secretary and U.S. senator told the Hill.TV’s “Rising.”
Webb was referring to Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who is a Democrat, and the Republican Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan.
Last Tuesday, Northam announced he was recalling four Virginia National Guard soldiers and one helicopter from Arizona in response to Trump’s family separation policy.
Hogan similarly took action against Trump’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy last week by recalling a National Guard helicopter and four crew members from New Mexico. He said he would not provide further resources “until this policy of separating children from their families has been rescinded.”
Several other governors recalled troops and equipment over the separations.
Webb cited a Supreme Court ruling back when he worked in the Pentagon under the Reagan administration to back up his argument.
“The decision unanimously was the governor of a state does not have operational control over his national guard forces when they’re in federal status,” Webb told the Hill.TV.
President Trump has since issued an executive order ending his family separation policy, but many immigrant children remain in limbo as families await reunification.
Webb added that immigration at the border remains complicated in the wake of Trump’s executive order.
“We have a problem. We have a country that has been lax in defining where its borders are,” he told the Hill.TV.
— Tess Bonn
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